Battle of Tribute
The Battle of Tribute was an engagement of the Human-Covenant War that took place on and around the planet Tribute in the Epsilon Eridani System in August 2552, between the Covenant and the United Nations Space Command. The battle proved to be long-lasting, and only ended with the beginning of the Great Schism in November of 2552, when the Sangheili and Jiralhanae forces around Tribute turned on each other. History Prelude Immediately prior to the Battle, the Covenant invaded Reach, Humanity's strongest military fortress world and on Earth's doorstep, with a massive invading Armada, the Fleet of Particular Justice. The defending UNSC forces included a massive fleet of starships, a large assembly of ground forces, and all of the surviving Spartan-IIs that could be pulled from their previous assignments, as well as several groups of Spartan-IIIs. Though the defenders fought valiantly, the Covenant eventually overwhelmed the defenses and managed to take out the Orbital Defense Platforms; with that, they began Glassing the planet, systematically wiping out everyone left on Reach. A small handfull of scattered, broken UNSC ships were forced to flee, but most were hunted down by Covenant ships before they could even attempt to leave the system. One ship, the UNSC Pillar of Autumn, was the only vessel that escaped out of the Epsilon Eridani System, fleeing to an unknown destination; the Fleet of Particular Justice followed after it, leading to the discovery of the first Halo. Another ship, the UNSC Guildenstern, made contact with a Pelican dropship that fled the Planet, retrieving the four Spartan-IIs and 12 Spartan-IIIs within. Another Covenant Fleet, part of the larger effort of sweeping the Epsilon Eridani System, arrived near Tribute, prompting any nearby vessels that hadn't made it in time to save Reach to make way for the Colony. This included the UNSC Guildenstern, which travelled to Tribute with best speed and became part of a larger Battlegroup. Space Engagement (wip) After the first Naval Battle, the UNSC managed to clear out most of the attacking Covenant ships, limiting the amount of vessels that made it through the defensive line to invade the Colony itself. A handful of Covenant ships retreated to regroup in orbit around Tribute's Moon, Emese; a few UNSC ships were assigned to recon the Moon, though most of the surviving ships remained near Tribute to assess damage and losses. While the UNSC succeeded in repelling the Covenant, they lost a lot of ships on their end. City Invasion A small number of Covenant ships had managed to break the defensive line over Tribute. These ships selected cities to hover over, using their starship weapons to clear out local ground forces before establishing landing zones for their invasion forces. The UNSC moved in to stop the spread of Covenant ground forces. Finally presented with the opportunity of battle in their familiar style, the Spartans were arranged in 4 groups and prepared to drop. Naval Battle 'UNSC Composition' The main Tribute Defense Fleet consisted of the following: 'Main Defensive Fleet' Command, Logistics, and Primary Defense *1 Orbital Defense Platform, the Hammer (Designated Command Platform) *1 Orbital Defense Platform, the Anvil (Firing Support for the Hammer) *6 other Orbital Defense Platforms, arrnaged in 3 groups of 2, paired like the Hammer and Anvil. Heavy Weapon Artillery, Secondary Command, Secondary Defense *1 Punic-class Supercarrier (Movement disabled as Engines were being overhauled, Weapons and Hanger systems functional, making it more of an immobile weapon platform similar to an Orbital Defense Platform) Close-Support and Upper Atmosphere Interception *2 Orion-class Assault Carriers Fast-Response Interdiction *1 Halcyon-class Light Cruiser (Supported by 1 Charon-class Frigate) *4 Charon-class Frigates (In Shield Formation) *3 Stalwart-class Light Frigates (In Arrowhead Formation) Patrol and Interception (4 groups of the following composition) *1 Marathon-class Heavy Cruiser *12 Stalwart-class Light Frigates (Broken into 2 groups of Trident Formations 3 Frigates each, and 2 Arrowhead Formations 3 Frigates each) Patrol and Support *1 Epoch-class Heavy Carrier (Defended by 2 Halberd-class Destroyers) *4 Halberd-class Destroyers (In Axe Formation) 'Shielding Defense Fleet' Command (Cyclopse Battlegroup) *1 Carrier-type Marathon-class Heavy Cruiser *9 Charon-class Frigates (Broken into 3 Trident Formations 3 Frigates Each) Longbow Ranged Strike *2 Marathon-class Heavy Cruisers Direct Fire Assault *2 Marathon-class Heavy Cruisers *6 Charon-class Frigates (Broken into 2 groups of Arrowhead Formations 3 Frigates each) Action and Response *1 Marathon-class Heavy Cruiser (UNSC Guildenstern, Reinforced by a pair of Paris-class Heavy Frigates; carrying Spartans) *4 Charon-class Frigates (In Shield Formation) Swift Strike and Interception *18 Paris-class Heavy Frigates (Making up a Harpy Battlegroup, broken into 3 groups of Arrowhead Formations 3 Frigates each, and 3 Trident Formations 3 Frigates each) 'Subsidary Engagement Fleet' Command *1 Valiant-class Super-Heavy Cruiser (Defended by a pair of Halberd-class Destroyers) *6 Paris-class Heacy Frigates (Broken into 2 groups of Trident Formations 3 Frigates each) Direct Engagement *1 Marathon-class Heavy Cruiser *9 Paris-class Heavy Frigates (Broken into 2 groups of Arrowhead Formations 3 Frigates each, and 1 Trident Formation of 3 Frigates) Interception and Fast Attack *18 Stalwart-class Light Frigates (Making up a Harpy Battlegroup, broken into 3 groups of Arrowhead Formations 3 Frigates each, and 3 Trident Formations 3 Frigates each) 'Covenant Composition' (wip) Ground Battle (wip) Trivia *Some similarities to the Battle of Mombassa as depicted in the E3 2004 Trailer, as well as the depiction within the final game itself.